REGINA -- The provincial government says it will pay for some Saskatchewan patients to participate in a multiple sclerosis clinical trial of the so-called "liberation" therapy in Albany, N.Y.

Health Minister Don McMorris said in a news release Friday that the province is finalizing a partnership with U.S researchers led by Dr. Gary Siskin, a vascular and interventional radiologist at Albany Medical Centre.

"Patients need answers as soon as possible about the efficacy of the liberation therapy as a treatment for MS," McMorris said in a statement. "We owe it to them to explore every opportunity to advance MS research and find answers about this treatment. This clinical study will enable Saskatchewan patients to be involved quite quickly in a controlled, reputable research process."

Saskatchewan MS patients will be advised how and when they can apply to participate after the partnership is finalized. The news release did not include an anticipated timeline. McMorris is scheduled to talk to reporters later this morning.

It is anticipated that between 80 and 90 Saskatchewan MS patients would be involved in the clinical trial. The province is setting aside approximately $2 million to cover costs and patient expenses.

The procedure involves angioplasty to open veins in the neck to increase blood flow from the brain and spinal cord. It's based on a theory that links MS with the vein blockages, a condition referred to as chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency, or CCSVI.

The Saskatchewan Party government took the unusual step last summer of announcing it would commit $5 million to fund provincial trials of the potential multiple sclerosis therapy. But that plan suffered a scientific setback in June when the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation said the single research proposal that it received didn't meet the criteria set out by the foundation's expert panel.

Some in the medical community have urged caution, noting more scientific research on the liberation treatment is required. But many MS patients have been urging provincial governments to move faster to offer the procedure.

The provincial government said it still intends to support a pan-Canadian research effort into liberation therapy once that gets underway.

ahall@leaderpost.com